Archive for January, 2014

A decade after the country’s biggest arms haul, a special court in Chittagong on Thursday handed down death sentence and life term to former ministers Matiur Rahman Nizami and Lutfozzaman Babar, 11 senior and influential civil-military bureaucrats and Indian separatist leader Paresh Baruah in two arms and smuggling cases. The judge of Chittagong Metropolitan Special Tribunal 1, SM Mujibur Rahman […]

The investigation of the arms and ammunition haul of April 2004 in Chittagong has changed with the changes in government several times. A decade after the biggest arms haul, a special court in Chittagong on Thursday sentenced former ministers Matiur Rahmani Nizami and Lutfozzaman Babar, 11 others and ULFA leader Paresh Baruah to death penalty in two cases filed in […]

Law minister Anisul Huq said on Thursday that the verdicts in the 10-truck arms haul cases in Chittagong had carried a message for criminals involved in smuggling of arms. ‘One will think twice before committing such crimes here in future. I consider the verdicts positive,’ the minister told reporters at the secretariat in Dhaka in an instant reaction to the […]

Deaths in police ‘shootouts’ continued as at least three people, including two Bangladesh Nationalist Party activists, who were accused in several cases of political violence, were killed by lawmen enforcement agencies on Thursday in Sirajganj, Sonaimurhi in Noakhali and Feni. In one of the incidents, a local BNP leader was killed in a ‘shootout’ with the police in Medipur village […]

Former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, also a BNP leader who looked confident before the delivery of the verdict in the Chittagong arms haul cases, began cursing the judge in the courtroom. Former industries minister Matiur Rahman Nizami, also amir of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami who looked anxious before the verdict delivery, later said that he would file an appeal […]

The High Court on Thursday struck down the controversial amendment enacted in November making it mandatory for the Anti-Corruption Commission to obtain prior permission for prosecuting public servants on corruption charges. The court struck down ‘Section 32KA of the Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Act 2004 as ‘illegal.’ The verdict was pronounced by a two-judge bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and […]

Thailand’s army will increase the number of troops in the capital ahead of Sunday’s election, it said on Thursday, as the government warned it might not be able to contain violence if anti-government protesters try to stop people voting. The protesters, members of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee, say they will disrupt the ballot as part of their campaign to […]

Labour leaders and experts said that flaws in rules and the absence of legal action encouraged apparel factory owners to overlook faulty safety systems in their units. Although government inspection teams have filed cases against a number of apparel units for having inadequate safety measures, owners did not meet the safety standards in the absence of stringent punishment, they said. […]

Residents of Government BM College girl’s hostel had been lined along a road stretch for about two hours to greet the industries minister, Amir Hossain Amu, visiting Barisal on Thursday in violation of a ministry directive in this regard. The Barisal city unit Awami League orgainsed the programme to accord reception to the minister in the conference room of the […]

The Election Commission on Thursday asked the returning officers to send to it the certified copies of wealth statement affidavits of six ruling Awami League MPs and former ministers. The EC issued the instructions to the returning officers following a request from the Anti-Corruption Commission. The ACC said that it had begun investigations into the wealth of six ruling AL […]

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Thursday accused the superintendent of police in Noakhali of ‘killing a party activist extrajudicially’ at Sonaimuri in the district. The BNP demanded an immediate suspension of the police superintendent Anisur Rahman for the ‘killing of he Sonaimuri unit BNP’s joint convener Touhidul Islam in a gun battle’ early Thursday. The BNP’s joint secretary general Mahbubuddin […]

Today is the 92nd birth anniversary of former president and Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury. In order to mark the day, Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury National Memorial Council will distribute stipends and certificates among meritorious students. Abu Sayeed resigned as vice-chancellor of Dhaka University on March 15, 1971 in protest of killing two students in the DU campus by Pakistani Army. […]

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday filed a case against BNP leader Tarique Rahman’s mother-in-law Syeda Iqbalmand Banu for not submitting her wealth statement to it. The commission deputy director RK Majumder filed the case with Ramna police a day after Iqbalmand Banu appealed for a fresh ACC inquiry in to her wealth, ACC official told reporters. The ACC Act provides […]

Senior lawyer Sarwarjan Miah, also an ex-lawmaker and social worker, died of a heart attack at Faridpur Heart Foundation Hospital here on Thursday at the age of 89. He was admitted to the hospital after he fell seriously sick on Wednesday night. He is survived by two sons, two daughters and a host of friends, relatives and well-wishers to mourn […]

Rajshahi University students on Thursday observed a day-long strike and abstention of classes and examinations on the campus against the fees hike and evening masters courses at the university. During the strike, three handmade cocktails had been exploded on the campus. Students also declared to continue their agitation. Since early morning, students started to gather in front of different academic […]

The 28th National Poetry Festival will begin on the Dhaka University campus at 9:00am on Saturday with the slogan ‘Kabita Sahena Danab Jatana.’ Poet Syed Shamsul Huq will inaugurate the two-day programme in front of the DU central library, organised by the National Poetry Council. About 300 poets and writers from home and abroad are expected to attend the programme, […]

Bangla Academy, the organiser of month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair, on Thursday announced Bangla Academy Literary Award 2013. The academy director general, Shamsuzzaman Khan, at a press conference at the academy premises announced the names of ten authors who won the award. Helal Hafiz got the prize in poetry, Purabi Basu in fiction, Mafidul Haque in essay, Jamil Chowdhury and […]

The rapidly developing ground realities in Bangladesh forced the cabinet of Dr Abdul Motaleb Malik to resign on December 14, 1971 before taking refuse under the International Commission for the Red Cross at what was then Hotel Intercontinental, now Hotel Ruposhi Bangla, said Jamaat leader AKM Yusuf told the International Crimes tribunal-2 Thursday. Yusuf was in the dock facing trial […]

Expressing satisfaction over the High Court’s verdict declaring Section 32 (A) of the Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Act 2013 unconstitutional, Transparency International Bangladesh has urged the government to take initiative to repeal the section. TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman in a statement on Thursday said, ‘The HC verdict establishes that Section 32 (A) is unconstitutional and illegal and everybody is equal in […]

The second phase of Bishwa Ijtema begins today on the bank of River Turag at Tongi in Gazipur. In this phase, the people from 32 districts will join the Ijtema and the entire ground has been divided into 38 sections (khitta) for allocation to the devotees. The second phase is scheduled to end with an Akheri Munajat on February 2. […]